what's with all the mobo's with 'embedded' chips?

[DeeKnow]

I'm in Switzerland, and seem to see a bunch of motherboards being advertised on hobbyist sites that have 'embedded' CPU's - typically Duron/Celeron, but now and then XP100 and the like. They do sound like good value for money, but I notice most of them come without an AGP slot!

What's up with these things?? ARe these regualr CPU's? Are they soldered in place or just being sold as a mobo-CPU package?? and why no AGP slots??

Havent seen too many of these on US sites, so don't know if many ppl are aware but I would appreciate any tips

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I haven't used one but from reading posts here, they are indeed soldered on and are intended for basic workstation use. They aren't very powerful PCs to start with, as you noted, and the lack of upgradability makes them a terrible choice for any DIYer. You could find a place for one as a firewall, FTP, and 'nix box if it's cheap enough, but beyond that they are paper weights for most of us 'round here

 

[WobbleWobble]

They use regular CPUs in the desktop or mobile form but the "PR" rating they get is usually way overrated. They tend to be soldered on as well. I would tend to stay away from these because they're usually pushed by lower-end makers. The value is ok, but it's not a bargain by any means.